


Junior Stark Expo Annual Fair

by smith_lyra



Series: The Soldier And The Genius (a winteriron collection) [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Datekougyou | Date Tech, Fun, Idiots in Love, M/M, Science
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-05 01:37:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16358165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smith_lyra/pseuds/smith_lyra
Summary: Prompt by twitter user @mushisury: “Bucky and Tony going on a date to a tech fair set up by kids ‘cause they love kids and tech. And then Bucky and Tony at a stand to win prizes and Bucky wins Tony something.”





	Junior Stark Expo Annual Fair

**Author's Note:**

> No trigger warnings on this one. Only sweet, sweet fluff. Enjoy!  
> Don't forget you can submit your prompt on my twitter @thewintergenius, on my [tumblr](thewintergenius.tumblr.com), or here in the comments.

The _Junior Stark Expo Annual Fair_ was one of the most awaited events of the year. Kids from all schools worked for months on the projects that would win them a place on the fair. It was a unique opportunity, attended by its very creator Tony Stark, the brain behind Stark Industries. Mr. Stark’s favourite project would then be adapted into an actual SI product, and the kid who had created it would pretty much have a set place for him when he grew up.

The Expo took place in November and this year it had a new feature. It was the first fair being held since the Winter Soldier had been found and Bucky, much to everyone’s surprise, was attending with Tony. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been such a surprise; after all, everybody knew the Captain’s best friend had been big on tech way back when, never missing an expo. What not so many people knew was that his love for all things science wasn’t but one of the three reasons the ex-assassin had for attending the fair. The other two were 1) he loved kids, and 2) he was dating the host.

All these reasons, albeit excellent, did not make it any easier to face the reporters at the entrance, nor to fight the urge to hold Tony’s hand for comfort - there were also excellent reasons why that hadn’t gone public yet. Thankfully, the paparazzi were only on the outside because, once inside, it was strictly forbidden to take photos for commercial use. It was a measure taken to protect the kid’s privacy, and if Bucky also was extremely glad for it, that was neither here nor there.

The absence of journalists inside did, in fact, an awful lot to calm Bucky’s nerves. Or maybe it was the kids. Quite possibly, it was only Tony’s firm presence at his side, a little too close for someone who was supposed to be no more than a friend. Either way, it didn’t take long for James to be completely relaxed and smiling at the infants. One or two of them shied away from the arm, but mostly they just asked questions about anything and everything, from how it was powered to whether he could win on a hand-to-hand with a T-Rex. Bucky was delighted to answer all those questions and then some. (Except that kid who asked why he wasn’t holding Tony’s hand if they were in love – that one he hadn’t been happy about at all, and Tony had nearly choked on his orange juice).

Some of the projects were also quite interesting: it was clear how much effort had been put into them. There were robots everywhere, drones flying around the rooms and kids laughing loudly.

“Look! It’s Tony Stark!” one of the kids was saying to his friends.

“I know! He went to my table earlier and,” he leaned in conspiratorially, “he asked me to call him Tony.”

“Yes! And he said I’d be a great engineer when I was a grown-up!”

Tony dropped his head on James’s _left_ shoulder to hide a snort and yelped.

“Fu…nny how hard your metal shoulder is, huh?”

The soldier grinned at Tony’s slip of tongue and rubbed his forehead.

“You should know by now that you can’t do that when you’re standing on my left, _zvezda moya,_ ” he whispered the nickname fondly; he was getting tired of hiding.

The most awaited moment of the event, though, was the announcement of the winner. This year it was a young man, probably around 14 – _13_ , the Soldier promptly supplied from the back of Bucky’s mind – who had designed a very simple, and yet very practical AI. Her name was Karen and she could be uploaded into each person’s clothes, providing and sharing all kinds of information. She also came with a built-in emergency feature: in case any of the sensors was withstanding too much pressure or heat, it would send out an alarm to an emergency contact. It had a few problems that Bucky promptly identified from his conversations about Artificial Intelligence with Tony; but, overall, the kiddo, whose name was Peter Parker, had done an excellent job. Karen would join Stark Industries, and so would the kid as soon as he had taken his degree. Of course Tony, being Tony, immediately arranged for a private internship so he could take the education of the kid into his own hands right at that moment. By the time they were done, Peter had a grin so big it was a wonder it even fit in his face, and Bucky was feeling a comforting warmth in his chest at the sight of his boyfriend looking so content.

In the end of the day, it was time to close the Expo, and there was kind of a ritual to do so. The last two hours were spent in another, giant, room that Tony had turned into an actual fun fair, complete with a carrousel, an honest-to-god rollercoaster and, of course, the inevitable stands. At this point, Tony usually stood at the side watching the kids play, only joining if some braver child came to ask him. This year, however, James was extremely enthusiastic about the stands and pulled Tony along until they were standing right in front of one with giant stuffed animals.

“You gonna win me something, soldier?” the genius asked teasingly, and his jaw dropped when Bucky paid the man, took the gun from the table in front of him and hit the centre of the target in every shot, winning Tony a giant stuffed bear.

If Bucky hadn’t already been having the Best Day Ever™, then it would have become so at that moment, with the way his boyfriend’s eyes lit up when he handed him – yes, _handed_ – the bear.

“It’s a Bucky Bear!” he grinned excitedly, and James couldn’t help but ruffle the smaller man’s hair.

Soon they’d be going public. For now, they’d have to keep stealing these moments, but James wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. After all, he was spending a day with the love of his life, surrounded by kids and tech. What else could he ask for


End file.
